Conveying apparatus.



E. N. JOHNSTON.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1908.

9 1 9, 1 7 8, Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. N. JOHNSTON. CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY e, 1908.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 2.

.6? fyz ba EDWARD N. JOHNSTON, OF THE UNITED STATES CONVEYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909. Q

Application filed May 6, mos. v Serial No. 431,175.

To allwhom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD N. JOHNSTON, captain of engineers U. S. Army, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Point, in the county of Orange and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveying Apparatus ;.and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in conveying apparatus, and the object of my invention is to provide such apparatus with a means by which it may be controlled from any point that at the time maybe found most convenient, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

Conveying apparatus, as at present constructed, is sometimes controlled by a man from a switch-board located at the motors, and sometimes by-a controller operated by a man on the carriage. In either case, however, it often happens that the operator hav ing the motors under his control is unable to know just where the load should be delivered, and therefore it becomes necessary to station an extra man at a more advantageous point, and have him signal such operator and thereby inform him of just what is necessary in order to deliver the load at the exact point desired.

lliore specifically stated,the object of my invention is to avoid the expense and delay incident to the above objections, and to these ends my invention consists in providing conveying apparatus of all kinds with a movable controller independent of the carriage, which may be located at any desired point, and from which the motors may be operated at will, all as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,in which like numerals refer to like parts in all the views, and in which an aerial cableway is shown by way of illustration :F igure 1, is a sectional view of a stream showing a conveying apparatus stretched thereover; and my controller located at the point to which the material is being delivered, with its cable passing under the water. Fig. 2, is a like view of a river with an island in the middle, showing my controller on said island, and its cable suspended, from a separate wire stretched over the water. Fig. 3, is a sectional view of a canal prism showin my controller located near the point of dropping the load. Fig. 4, is a detail elevational view of one end of a conveyor. Fig. 5, an elevational detail view of my controller and its transporting frame, and Fig. 6, a plan view of the same.

1, represents the towers or other supports on which the track for the conveyer is'supported; 2, the track itself; 3, the motor or motors for operating the carriage 4; 5, the connections between the carriage and motors; and 6, the load, all as is well known. As above stated, it often happens that a certain place constitutes a more convenient point from which the motors may be controlled while doing one piece of work, and an entirely different location is far more convenient for another piece of work. In fact, in order that the highest efliciency be attained, it is essential that the contrcller' 7 for the motors 3 be located at such a point that the man in charge of thesame can personally superintend and watch the placing of the load 6, on the exact spot where it is to be left. In other words, the controller itself should be placed near, or slightly to one side of such spot, so that the man operating it may be able to personally control the last and final adjustments of the motions of the load before it is detached from the carriage In order to accomplish thesemost desirable results, it is evident that the controller 7 must be readily movable from place to place, without in the least interfering with the operation of the motors, and

therefore I provide a frameS for said controller, and mount thereon a drum 10, carrying the cable 11, at all times connected with furnish the power. Or the frame 8 may be bodily lifted by hand or other power and moved to the desired point of vantage.

While being moved by the carriage a,

two men may stand upon the supports 9,

one at each end of the frame, and While thereby balancing the same, one may operate the controller to move the frame to the desired point, While the other Winds up or nnwinds the drum as maybe necessary to give the proper length of cable. In moving from place to place by means of power in this manner, it is ol'ten exceedingly convenient to carry a load along at the same time, Which load may serve as a temporary foundation for the frame when placed, or for other convenient, purpos and to this end l have t a space 16 in. the floor between the controller and drum, in order that the mm on the supports 9 may look therethrougla, and be able'to see just Where the load should be dropped. And I have also provided the frame with rods 1? and wheel: 18 for supporting this load, as shown.

19, represents a suitable switch board or" the relay ty oids or 0 pc provided with suitable solenier devices for ma ring and changing the connections, to which the mob and the cable sunl: beneath the Water out oi. the Way of all passing craft. ()i' if, as 111 Big. 2, construction work 15 being carried on Within a coder-dam in the middle of a river, oi" on an island in the river, the cable may be disposed of in the previous figure, or it may be supported on small auxiliary cable stre "ng from tower to towe". In excavating'a canal, as shown in Fig. 3, the cable may follow the contour f the ground. In all of these cases, it is evid that unless the controller be placed at suct a point that the operator can seethe load When placed, much valuable time and money are of necessity lost, and the Work in the end in some g is not so satisfactory. ()n the other hand, by selecting the best position for the controller and by mov ing the same from place to place, if necessary as the Work progresses, 1 am enabled to do away with the signal-man, new commonly employed, and to have the man in charge of the controller itself personally super-intend the placing of the material.

Of coursedo not desire to be understooclv asliznitiug my invention to the exact details of construction above disclosed. for it is evident that the same may be Widely varied Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

"ll liat I claim is a frame independent of said carria supporting said controller; and means on 1, In conveying apparatus, the comb tion of a, conveyer carriage adapted to port a lolld; a 5 table track on which carriage travels; motor; connections tween said carriage and motor; cc roller for said motor and independent of l riage; and means on said controller in it may be carried from place toplace. stantially as described.

'2. la conveying anparatus, the com. tion of con1'c er carriage; a suitable w on which said carriage travels; an elect motor; ropes connecting said motor and c v riage; an electric controller for 1. .id P} independent of said carriage and. adap be moyed from place to place; readily attaching and detachu troller from said carriage, .3 d scribed. 1

In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conveyor carriage; an aerial rope way on which. said carriage travels; electric motors; suitable rope connections betw said motors and said carriage; a 1X31 movable electric controller for said in.)

.. d frame for readily attaching and detach ing the same lrom said earring substantially as described.

a. In a conveyingappara tion of a conveyor carriage" way on which said carriage l motors; rope connections b tors and said carriage; a of said carriage and prov at each end adapted to rece electric controller on said suoport, subs; tially as described.

In conveying a lion of'a 'conveyer "e; an aerial rope Way on which said c ige travels; electric motors; rope connections between said mo tors and said carriage; a frame independent of said carriage and provided with a support at each end adapted to receive a man; an electric controller and a cable on said support; and means whereby said frame may be readily attached to l detached from said carriage, substantially as des ribed.

6. a conveying apparatus, the combination of a comeyercarriage; an aerial. rope way on which said carriage travels; electriciuotors; rope connections between said mo tors ant l. carriage; a frame independent of said carriage and provided with a support at each end. adapted to receive a. man; an electric controller and a cable drum on sad support; means for carrying a load iiirom said frame; and additional means whereby said frame may readily attached to and detached from said carriage, substantially as described.

'7. 111 a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conveyor carriage; a suitable an aerial roy avcl leci id inoileoendent tra tus, the combine.

on which the same travels; suitable motors and connections by which said carriage is, caused to traverse said way; a readily'movable controller independent of said carriage adapted to be placed at any desired point of vantage; a frame provided with a support open at its center for said controller; means on said frame from which a load may be suspended; and additional means whereby the same may be readily transported to and left at any desired point, substantially as described.

8. In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conveyor carriage adapted to support a load; a suitable track on which said carriage travels; a motor; connections be tween said carriage and motor; a controller for said motor and independent of said carriage; and means on said controller whereby it may be carried from place to-place and constantly maintained in operative connection with the motor.

9.- In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conveyer carriage; a suitable track on which said carriage travels, an electric motor; ropes connecting the motor and carriage; an electric controller for said motor, independent of said carriage and adapted to be moved -fr.om place to place and constantly maintained in operative connection with the motor; and meansffor readily attaching and detaching said controller from said carriage.

10. n In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conve er'carriage; an aerial rope Way on which said carriage travels; electric motors; suitable rope connections between said motors and said carriage; a readily removable electric controller for said motors adapted to be constantly maintained in operative connection therewith; a frame independent of said carriage for supporting said controller; and means on said frame for readily attaching and detaching the same from said carriage.

11. In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a conveyer carriage adapted to support a load; a suitable track on which said carriage travels; a motor; connections between said carriage and motor; a controller for, said motor independent of said carriage adapted to be moved from place to place, and a flexible connection between the controller and motor whereby they are main- Y tained constantly operatively asso'ciatd.

whereof, I aflix my slgdature,

In testimon in presenceo two witnesses. p 5 EDWARD N.-JOHNSTON.

Witnesses: T. A. Wrrnsnsroon Es'mLLA C. CARROLL 

